Nobles County Comprehensive Plan

Note: this page is just an introductory summary to the full Nobles County Comprehensive Plan.

To view the full document, please click the download button below. Or, if you would like to download a specific chapter of the document, please review the download links on the right column of this page.

Nobles County is authorized to prepare and implement a Comprehensive Plan pursuant to Chapter 394 of Minnesota Statutes, Planning Development, and Zoning. The County Board has the power and authority to adopt the plan by ordinance upon recommendation by the 2025 Committee and the Planning Commission. When so adopted, the Comprehensive Plan is required to be the basis for such official controls as the zoning and subdivision ordinances.

Nobles County has recognized that numerous changes have occurred over the past 15-20 years to warrant the update of the County’s Comprehensive Plan. With funding from Minnesota Planning and the Southwest Minnesota Foundation, the County began to undertake activities found within the Community Based Planning (CBP) Act.

Among other things, the advantages that go along with CBP include

A stronger support for the plan and its implementation through broad involvement of citizens in the process

A coordinated involvement of local governments and assistance from Minnesota Planning in getting greater involvement and help from state agencies

A greater predictability to city and rural residents about when development will occur and when services will be provided through identification of urban growth areas

An assurance that orderly annexation agreements will be developed prior to development and with the participation of the city, county and township

A higher eligibility for funding for planning and technology activities

The 2025 Committee

Nobles County recognized the importance of citizen participation in the development of the Comprehensive Plan. The 2025 Committee was established with 30 members representing cities, townships, other various committees, and individuals from the broader community.

The expectations of this committee consisted of

Attending all required meetings

Reading CBP updates

Listening to the concerns of Local Units of Government and the public

Helping out the facilitator during meetings

Promoting issue discovery and discussion

Visualizing future problems and possible solutions

Reviewing what the people of Nobles County want and need

Communicating conclusions to the Committee and doing the best possible job to insure that the plan accurately represents the conclusions of the Committee

Primary Objective

The primary objective of the Comprehensive Plan is to provide a coordinated set of goals and policies that will guide decisions regarding land use by both the public and private sector. Decisions made in the past and in the future will have an effect on the need for public expenditure and taxes, environmental quality, the consumption of energy and land, and other resources. Stability of property values can also be impacted. The Goals and Policies that follow each background section are the result of a great deal of citizen involvement. It will be important to review these Goals and Policies in order to respond to changes in area conditions, needs, and policies.